When I pulled the cushions out of the stern berth this spring, they were stuck to the fiberglass by the small amount of water that had crept in and could not evaporate. I had to peel them off. I am lucky I didn't have more mildew building up on the underside of the cushions.

A club mate put me on to this idea that others use to allow fresh air in under the cushions. I went to Ikea and bought a King size set of bed slats (called Luvoy).

They're only 1/8" thick, and they have a slight bow to them, just enough to keep the cushions off the fiberglass. Even though they are meant for a six foot wide bed, when put in the stern, the two halves dovetail nicely together, so one size fits all. I didn't have to cut them down at all.

You can get smaller, cheaper queen sized slats if you prefer. But I'm glad I went for the king size. The dovetailing actually serves to keep the slats nicely spaced apart.

This may not be for everyone; there is a cost in terms of both money ($70CDN) and added weight (14kg).